A Generative Theory of Tonal Music [Paperback]

Fred Lerdahl (Author), Ray S. Jackendoff (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 026262107X | ISBN-13: 978-0262621076 | Publication Date: June 3, 1996

This work, which has become a classic in music theory since its publication in 1983, models music understanding from the perspective of cognitive science. The point of departure is a search for a grammar of music with the aid of generative linguistics. The theory, which is illustrated with numerous examples from Western classical music, relates the aural surface of a piece to the musical structure unconsciously inferred by the experienced listener. From the viewpoint of traditional music theory, it offers many innovations in notation as well as in the substance of rhythmic and reductional theory.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ray Jackendoff is Seth Merrin Professor of Philosophy and Codirector of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University. He is the author of many books, including Foundations of Language.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (June 3, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 026262107X
• ISBN-13: 978-0262621076
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #824,482 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a turning point in XXth century music theory..., September 15, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Bahia-Brasil) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Generative Theory of Tonal Music (Paperback)

This book is a turning point in XXth century music theory.It admits "surface salience" as an important musical attribute (chapter 5), distinguishing it from the "reductional importance" of events. Should we work with a double conception of structure: surface structure (focusing on surface salience) versus deep struture (focusing on reductional importance)? The investigation of surface salience leads to questions related to tension and release, an area that is still to find its best approach. What is best in the book: the ability to uncover the making of a theory; the ability to rejuvenate and integrate schenkerian ideas with a critique of Meyer's approach (rhythmic structure versus metrical structure); the linguistic/cognitive connection. What is not so good in the book: the remarks on contemporary music (with an almost fascist view of inherited abilities)

13 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars very interesting, very technical, September 30, 2003

By 

Mikhail Lewis (Missoula, MT, USofA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Generative Theory of Tonal Music (Paperback)

This very technical work is very interesting and uses a very valuable and relatively new approach. However it is very conservative musically, to the point of losing subjectivity. I would recommend James Tenney's writings instead. META + HODOS: A Phenomenology of 20th-Century Musical Materials and an Approach to the Study of Form (1961; Frog Peak, 1988), is available through amazon, or Hierarchical temporal gestalt perception in music : a metric space model with Larry Polansky, also printed in Soundings Vol. 13: The Music of James Tenney. Garland, Peter (Ed.) (Soundings Press, 1984) which has articles by and about Tenney, who takes a much more progressive and broad view than Lerdahl.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read on music, October 30, 2008

By 

M. E. Kluck - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Generative Theory of Tonal Music (Paperback)

I bought this book for a reading group organized by linguists, and think it's very interesting. It is not an easy read though, it takes time to decipher the proposed rules and sometimes it is not clear what the consequences of adopting those rules are. I don't know how comprehensible the book is for people with little formal or linguistic background, I do think that the authors aim to separate generative linguistic theory from the general idea that underlies it, and work from the latter perspective (not the first).